The Lincoln Project

This episode was originally released on March 11, 2022…just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As the one year anniversary of that invasion approaches…we thought it was important to look back at how things began to better understand how things stand today. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman who was the former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council. They discuss how “the perfect phone call” set into motion the events we’re now experiencing today with the Russia-Ukraine war. Plus, why was the Russian army not immediately victorious like so many predicted, what more can NATO and the United States be doing to continue to aid Ukraine, and does this all end in a whimper…or in a mushroom cloud? If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson and Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Trygve Olson to discuss their takeaways from President Biden’s State of the Union, why the “Endangered 18” are on the hot seat and what they have to do to get out of it, and why a third-party candidate in 2024 is such a bad idea. Plus, every contender in the 2024 Republican primaries not named Donald Trump is simply a vanity candidate. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen answers questions asked by the members of the Lincoln Project community about the new Republican-controlled House of Representatives, the 2024 presidential election, and the finer points of political messaging and strategy. Plus, why the war in Ukraine continues to be crucial in the fight for democracy. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Jay McKenzie, the founder of “Did Nothing Wrong”, a newsletter and podcast that seeks to make sense of the chaotic narratives that threaten to hijack our nation’s discourse and politics. They discuss the MAGA movement’s commitment to cultivating distrust in our nation’s institutions (by political means and otherwise), how the GOP is completely disinterested in governing, and how far-right influencers like Nick Fuentes continue to advance their dangerous narratives. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, the President and Executive Director of NextGen America, the nation’s largest youth voter organization. They discuss, the ever-changing political landscape of Texas, why Latino voters should never be looked at like a monolith, what motivates young voters, and why economic inequality is such a threat to democracy. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Alexander Theodoridis, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They discuss the current state of polling in the U.S. and how it’s evolved from “the golden age”, why our nation finds itself so politically polarized, and what motivates Americans to show up on election day. Plus, Ron DeSantis is an uninteresting presidential candidate. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Ron Insana (Senior Analyst and Commentator at CNBC) to discuss the current state of our nation’s economy, the Republican’s flirtation with the debt ceiling, why the GOP’s latest proposal for a flat tax would prove disastrous, and President Biden’s stewardship (both at home and overseas) during the first two years of his administration. Plus, just because someone is a billionaire…does that make them a genius? If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Author and Senior Book Editor at The Atlantic, Gal Beckerman. They discuss how radical ideas originate and the workings of the movements that form around them, how social media is not the catch all solution when it comes to messaging, and how in order for an idea to truly take hold…a crucial part of the process is rational dialog/strategy in a quiet, private (not public) place. For more on this be sure to pick up Gal Beckerman’s latest book, The Quiet Before: On the Unexpected Origins of Radical Ideas, wherever fine books are sold. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Joshua Zeitz…historian, New York Times bestselling author, and contributing editor to Politico Magazine. They discuss the evolution of Abraham Lincoln’s faith starting from childhood, throughout his early political career, and throughout his presidency. Plus, how during his presidency he was successfully able to use his understanding of Christianity to mobilize the country to abolish slavery, preserve the Union, and win the Civil War. Fast-forward to the present, how does religion influence politics today…and vice versa? Be sure to pre-order Joshua Zeitz’s upcoming book, Lincoln's God: How Faith Transformed a President and a Nation. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by David Rothkopf (Contributing Columnist for The Daily Beast and Host of Deep State Radio) to discuss where our nation stands two years into the Biden administration, how the rest of the world no longer has an American example to dissuade them from authoritarianism, and how the longer authoritarianism is embraced (in the United States or elsewhere) the greater the irreversible damage to the democracy we hold so dear. Plus, the island nation of Taiwan’s superpower. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices